4 questions to consider when making life choices

By Anne Bachrach

A.M. Enterprises (The Accountability Coach)

The truth is that every choice you make is going to impact you, so making choices that are going to affect your life in a positive way is a key element to both your success and your happiness. Few things can drag a person down faster than a series of poor choices.

The choices we make on a day-to-day basis have a tremendous influence on how our lives are going to turn out, and this is especially true
when you start talking about our business lives. It is no secret that making the right choices is going to help your business, but how will you know whether or not a particular choice is really right? How will you know if you are making constructive choices, or if you are actually putting yourself through unnecessary hardship?

These are great questions, and finding the answers can be a challenge. In this article, you will learn four questions to ask yourself that might just help to make the process a little bit easier. These questions might seem a bit routine, but you would be amazed at how many people never really think seriously about their choices before making up their minds. By asking yourself these questions before you decide on a course of action, you will be able to view the possible consequences from a better, more accurate frame of mind. These questions might not illuminate "magic" answers that will help you in solving any problem that might arise, but they can assist you by helping you
categorize what you already know into a helpful lineup of information that is easier to follow and identify in your own mind.

1. How will this choice affect me in the short term?

What would the immediate effects of your choice be? What ramifications could it have for you today, tomorrow, next week, next month or even a year from now? If necessary, make a list of the short-term positive and negative consequences. How will it help you now? How would it hurt you now? Are there any possibilities that you haven't explored yet? Who else can you ask who may have experience to help you with this choice?

Figuring out how a particular choice will affect you now can really help you to decide whether the choice is even a viable option. In
some cases, it might seem like the long-term benefits are positive, but if your business or project will not survive the short-term negatives, then those long-term positives are not going to matter in the end, and vice versa.

2. How will this choice affect me in the long term?

How will this choice affect you down the road? Will you still be experiencing the effects of your decision a year from now, five years
from now or 10 years from now? Figuring out what long-term positive and negative consequences a choice might hold for you and your business could make a big impact on whether you decide to go ahead or hold back.
3. Will this choice results in something professional or worthwhile?

Are there any immediate or long-term benefits that could lead you or your business to a place of enhanced professionalism as a result of
making this choice? Will the results be worthwhile? Think about what positives the choice does offer, and try to balance this information by asking yourself how professional or worthwhile it would be. Often, we face choices that seem like they are good ideas but then end up realizing down the road that those choices did not really lend themselves to the creation of a professional image, additional revenue or the achievement of any specific goals. In life, as well as in business, you need to make choices that are going to enhance your professionalism,
generate revenue and further your goals.

When you make an investment of your valuable time, you want it to produce a desired outcome and result. Every time you
invest your time in doing anything, you want to have a specific goal in mind that you want to achieve as a result. Because we all only have 168 hours in a week, we have to spend them wisely if we hope to get to where we ultimately want to be in life.

4. Is this choice consistent with my goals?

Keeping your goals in mind as you make choices is exceptionally important. If a particular choice does not line up with your goals, then it is
most likely going to set you back somewhere down the line. Consistency is a key component to success, so make sure that your choices line up with what you have planned for your business in the long term. If you don't currently have your goals written down, then I would highly recommend doing so before you start making big choices for yourself or for your business. Keeping your goals in front of you and periodically reviewing them can really help you to make choices that will move you towards your goals in the long run.

Choices are a part of life. Everyone has them. Choices are made every minute of every day. In a way, there is really no right or wrong way to make certain choices. Some choices are difficult to make because sometimes there is no apparent good or bad to either path. In times like these, you need to look at your goals and where you are going in life to determine whether a particular choice will help you or harm you.

The truth is that every choice you make is going to impact you, so making choices that are going to affect your life in a positive way is a key element to both your success and your happiness. Few things can drag a person down faster than a series of poor
choices. On the other hand, people can seldom be propelled to a better place more quickly than they can by making a series of important, positive choices. In the end, it really boils down to two things: what you want and how you plan to get there.